Clamp for leather-setting frames.



No. 705,105. Patented July 22, 1902.

J. T. LYKENS.

CLAMP FOR LEATHER SETTING FRAMES.

(Application filed Oct. 9, 1901.) (No Model.)

J j WMW A TTOfM/EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH T. LYKENS, OF CRUMLYNNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

" CLAMP FOR LEA E -sETTme FRAMES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,105, dated July 22, 1902. Application filed October 9, 1901. Serial No. 78,095. (No model.)

surface of one side thereof being then treated with enameling preparations. As the tanned skins when being enameled must be held taut in a frame to free them from all wrinkles and to give a perfectly-smooth enameled surface, the common practice has been to stretch them on a setting-frame, so called, by cords which are fastened to the edge of the skin,

- said edge being perforated by a row of edge holes, the other end of the cord being tacked to the edge of the frame. This construction of frame makes the work of securing the skin thereon very slow. It does not always secure perfect tautness, and it wastes a full inch of the edge of the skin all around mainly by reason of the row of holes punched therein,which depth of edge has to be finally trimmed off. My improved setting-frame remedies these defects to a very great extent, if not completely.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is a plan view of onehalf of my improved setting-frame, and Fig. 2 a section through the line a b thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the adjustable clip, which is part of my new setting-frame; and Fig. 4, a like view of each of the parts of said clip separated.

My invention has for its object, first, to dispense with perforating the edge of the tanned skin, next to grasp the edge during the stretching without tearing it and without destroying or folding over more than a quarterinch or less of said edge, and finally to make it perfectly taut on the frame.

To these ends my invention consists in the again passed throiigh the same hole.

combination, with a suitable frame and with .means to removably attach one end'of a series of cords thereto, of an adjustable clip composed of two members constituting two jaws normally open and facing outwardly in order to bring the same beneath the main'body of the skin when set in clamped position and adapted to grasp the edge of the skin between said adjustable members on the application of a pulling force thereto, one of which is adapted to be secured to one of said framecords; and my invention also comprises a specific form of such adjustable clip constructed of two members sliding one upon. the other, one operating as a key and the other a member sliding within it.

By the old method the skins are punched along the edge with a row of holes which in practice are one-quarter inch in diameter and are arranged one-half inch from the edge of the skin, thus destroying at least threequarters of an inch of the skin edge. A cord is tied to ashort wooden bar or toggle, as it is called,- usually a round piece of wood about a half-inch -in diameter and three inches long. The cord attached thereto is passed through one of said edge holes in the skin, the skin rolled over it once, and the cord This destroys another quarter-inoh of the skin, as it must be so rolled as to bring it under the main body of the skin which is to be en ameled. The free end of the cord is then pulled until taut, and its free end finally fastened by a tack to the frame edge. A series of these are placed all around the edge of the skin, although sometimes one-usually the lower-'of the four long edges of the skin is tacked directly to the frame. When the tanned skin is thus stretched and fastened to the frame, it is covered on the uppermost side with a coating of enameling-varnish, then put in the sun forseveral hoursor in an oven on the frame to dry, and afterward without removing from the frame is again coated with a second and sometimes a third enamel coating and each time dried, as aforesaid, without refraining after the first framing,as described. Obviously, therefore, the skin must be originally stretched on the frame as much as it will stand to make it taut thereon and por fectly smooth and to continue so during the whole enameling process. When finished and taken off the frame, the inch or more of edge taken up by the toggle and cord is not covered by the enamel, and, moreover, is useless by reason of the row of edge holes. Hence all this is trimmed off and wasted.

I will now proceed to describe my new setting-frame. By reference to the drawings, Fig. 1, it will be seen that the four-sided frame A is a skeleton frame, usually of wood, and it should have a sufficient thickness or depth, so that the fastening devices, the toggle in the old device, or the adjustable clip in my new device may not project beyond the lateral plane of the frame. As these frames with the skins stretched thereon after enameling are piled flat on each other when put in the oven to dry or set, the enamel and the projecting tacks or nails do not materially interfere with this, the chief object being to prevent the fastening devices on the frame (the toggle in the old device or the adjustable clip in my device) necessarily within the edges thereof from touching the enameled surface of the skin stretched on the underlying and overlying frames when so piled for drying. Both in the old device and in the new the toggle in the one case and the adjustable clip in the other case must be so arranged relatively to the stretched skin that they will come on the under side of the skin, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, leaving the main body of the skin to be enameled (indicated at 7) clear, with the holding edges folded under the same.

The adjustable clip forming an element of my new setting-frame consists, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, of the two elements A and B, which open and close, preferably, by a sliding relatively to each other and together constitute a pair of jaws opening in a direction outwardly from the main body of the skin and adapted to receive the extreme edge 8 of the skin between them and which are brought to close on each other and on the interposed skin edge 8 when one of the samenamely, element B, as shown in the drawin gs-is pulled relatively to the other element and in a direction away from the edge of the skin, said element B being provided with a lengthened end or handle I), perforated at b near its extreme outer end, whereby a cord 6 may be attached thereto. This mode of operation of the clip shown is effected by a construction' of said parts A and B having the following features, namely: Element A is formed of a fiat piece of metal split laterally at each edge and the portions 0d then turned over toward each other. After the end 6 of element B is inserted between said upturned edges of element A then the straight portionfof the latter is given an upwardly-inclined bond, as seen in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. Oorrespondingly the element 13 at its locking end, at point indicated at gin Fig. 4, is given an upward bend and again a downward bend at h. The last named, however, is not essential if the frame have enough lateral thickness to prevent said long end projecting below the horizontal plane of the frame. The long end I) is provided with a perforation b for the cord 6.

The operation of the adjustable clip and of the combined device constituting my new setting-frame will be apparent from Fig. 2, in which 7 is the skin, the edge 8 of which is passed over element A and is grasped between it and element B at or about the line of angular inclination of the former. Obviously a pull on the long end of element B will cause it to slide in element A and close on each other, grasping the skin edge 8 between them. Such pull is eifected through cord 6, the free end of which is tacked or otherwise fastened to the frame edge,as usual, such as by tacks 5 or other removable fas tening.

Obviously my invention in the frame as a whole is not confined to the specific form shown in the adjustable double-jawed clip in all its details. The essence of the invention as respects the clip element may be embodied in any clipping device operating on that prin ciple-namely, a pair of jaws facing out wardly, adapted to close upon each other and upon the interposed skin edge when an outward-pulling force is given to said jaws, pref= erably by a pull on the end of one jaw ele= ment, with removable means to secure said adjustable clip to the frame edge, such as a cord secured thereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination, constituting a settingframe for enameling skins of leather, a skeleton frame, a series of adjustable clamp-holding devices secured to the frame edges, and a corresponding series of skin-clamping devices consisting essentially of a pair of nor mally open clamping members with means to cause said members to close upon each other on the application of a pulling force to one of them, said members being so arranged relatively to each other as to face outwardly whereby the bite on the edge of the skin will bring the clamping device wholly beneath the main body of the skin.

2. A setting-frame adapted to grasp the folded-under edge of a skin to be held taut, comprising in combination an adjustable skin-clamping device consisting of a pair of normally open clamping members constituting a pair of jaws facing outwardly and adapted to close upon each other by an outward-sliding movement of one of them relatively to the other, an actuating-arm on the movable member, adjustable means for ap plying a moving force to said arm, and a skeleton frame to the edge of which said adj ustable actuating means is secured.

3. An adjustable clamping-clip for a set- ICC ting-frame of the character described, consisting of a member A composed of guiding portion 0, d, and inclined face f, and member In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 5th day of October, A. D. 1901.

B adapted to slide in said guiding portion of JOSEPH T. LYKENS.

5 the opposite member, said member B having l a handle end inclined at g, and perforated at its extremity, substantiallyas described.

Witnesses:

ANDREW V. GROUPE, H. T. FENTON. 

